Lock lip side feed punch



LOCK LIP SIDE FEED PUNCH Filed Dec. 29, 1954 FIG! H612 FIGB I52 m n 1 F165 INVENTOR.

-CARL A. SMITH Wm W ATTORNE Y United States Patent LOCK LIP SIDE FEED PUNCH Carl Alfred Smith, Atlanta, Ga. Application December 29, 1954, Serial No. 478,368

4 Claims. (Cl. 164109) This invention rel-ates to a lock lip side feed punch and particularly to a hand tool for joining and fastening support members to hold flat tile and to such a hand type tool which may be used to expedite the aforementioned method.

The present invention has one application in the construction art where wall surfaces or ceiling are being covered with an outside flat tile, such as where installing socalled sound proof or sound softening fibre tiles to a room. Some prior use methods involve glueing or nailing the tiles directly to the ceiling surface or building some sort of sub-ceiling to which the tiles were tacked or otherwise attached-neither of these methods being entirely satisfactory as tiles eventually fall or show an unevenness or otherwise appear unattractive. One more recent method, somewhat like the present method, employs some sort of framework support with a complex procedure of attaching the tiles thereto during the construction thereof. The present invention is a hand tool providing simple and most effective Way of joining metal plates of the framework for installing the tiles in a very attractive, permanent manner.

In conjunction herewith applicable to simplify the present method in actual use is a hand type tool. An object of the hand type tool is to provide a fast, positive, and secure way of punch-joining two pieces of metal plate.

Another object of the hand tool herein is to present a side feed arrangement to receive metal plates and apply a lock lip punching action upon one insertion of the punch moving in one general direction.

An additional object of the tool herein is to provide a punching action With only one moving punch element forming a lock tab in one direction of movement.

The tool presented herein comprises a holder having an open slot formed therein, a die member fixed on one side of said slot and having a die cutting surface formed thereon defining other than a straight line omitting a portion between the ends of said cutting surface of reduced width, and a punch member movable in said holder through said die, whereby the two pieces of metal plate inserted in said slot are punch-joined by interlocking tab.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent upon perusal of the following I description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of the hand tool with a portion of the case broken away.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevation view looking toward the back of the cam actuating handle of the tool.

Fig. 5 is an elevation view of the punch.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation view of the other side of the tool from that in Fig. l and with the handle closed.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation view of the head of the tool in Fig. 1 with .a pair of overlapping plates positioned to be punch-connected.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the punch die.

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Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the punch die.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the metal just as the punch begins to penetrate the top plate.

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the punch tab after completion of the punch started in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a view taken substantially along line 1212 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a view taken substantially along the line 1313 in Fig. 11.

Hand tool The tool disclosed in Figs. 1 through 13 may be used to form rapidly a connection comparable with that used previously in connection with a method for installing tile and comprises .a holder or front handle member acting as a base and with flat sides 102, 104 bent with a front curved channel member 106. The head 108 of holder 100 is recessed from one side thereof at 110 forming a side feed opening in which is positioned at the top thereof a die member held in place by screw 113 and receiving upwardly from the bottom thereof a punch member 114 with a punch tip 116. Punch member 114 moves upwardly and downwardly against the inside curved back of channel 106 and is moved by hand lever 118 having front opposed locking tabs 120 each with a top cam face 122 and a bottom cam face 124. Lever 118 moves against a leaf spring 126 fixed between lever 118 and the inside face of channel 106.

The lever 118 holds and actuates punch member 114 by means of tabs 120 fitting around a flattened portion 126 on punch 114 providing recessed portions 128 with each on its side having a top cam bearing surface 130 and bottom bearing surface 132. Tabs 120 fit into the rear between sides 102, 104 and are held with lever 118 in place by a pin 134 press fitted through sides 102, 104. With lever 118 in place on pin 134, tabs 120 are locked in engagement with punch 114 so that the rotation of lever 118 about pin 134 moves punch 114 selectively upwardly or downwardly. Forces may be exerted either to force the punch 114 upwardly or to positively force the pin back downwardly as when stuck in the metal.

The die 112 itself is shown in Figs. 14 and 15 and consists of a flat piece of die metal 136 with threaded opening 138 therein to receive the attaching screw 113. The die cutting edge is in the form of a circular opening 140 with the ends 142 thereof spaced apart leaving an open segment 144 of less width than the adjacent portion of the opening 140 and tabs cut therefrom. The top edge 146 of die opening 140 is enlarged to cause travel of a punched tab in an upward direction and backwardly along the line at 144. Punch tip 116 is offset from the center line of the cylindrical punch member 114 and with a beveled edge 148 for better metal puncture action.

In the operation of the tool, a pair of metal plates 150, 152 substantially stacked as in the manner of the overlapping pieces of a metal frame have the side feed opening 110 inserted around them placing the punch 116 below and the die 112 above. Moving lever 118 from normal wide position to the closed position in Fig. 6 pushes top cams 122 into engagement with top bearing surfaces 130 thereby forcing the punch with multiplied pressure to puncture the bottom piece 150 and on through the top piece 152 forming a curved bottom tab 154 and top tab 156 both with a hinge line 158 of less width than the immediately adjacent width of either of the holes 160 in the metal. This action and the result is shown in Figs. 10 through 13.

Accordingly, the tool is readily used to feed onto the side of metal plates and with one squeeze of the handle lever 118 driving the punch 116 into the die 112 thereby forming a pair of locking tabs 154, 156 which prevent the metal plates from disengaging. When several such locking connections are formed at spaced places on a pair of plates it locks them firmly together.

While I have shown and described in detail a method of installing tile and a tool which'can be used to expedite the method, these are by way of example only and are not to be construed according to the details of such disclosure as being any sort of limitation on the scope of my invention. Concerning any question relating to scope or coverage of invention reference is hereby made to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A punch joining tool comprising, a base holder, a side feed material receiving slot formed in said holder for receiving overlapping plates therein, a punch mounted for movement on said holder to travel therethrough and into said slot to engage plates confined therein, a planar punching surface on the end of said punch, means on said holder for moving said punch in substantially a straight line a limited amount and for returning said punch to initial position, a die member mounted adjacent said slot on a side opposite said punch member, a tab forming surface on said die, an open hinge line forming area in conjunction with said tab forming surface for forming a hinge line of less width than the opening immediately adjacent thereto, said die being discontinuous about a portion thereof adjacent said hinge line forming an open space through which said die is removable from said hinged tabs, and a tab travel area formed in said die leading in a straight line from said tab forming surface.

2. A lock lip punching tool comprising, an elongated holder having an internal elongated bearing surface formed therein an elongated punch member having a planar punch portion protruding therefrom, said punch member being confined in said base member for movement along said bearing surface, an actuating lever mounted for movement on said base member and having cam actuating surfaces formed thereon in engagement with said punch member for moving said punch, a die member mounted on said holder in spaced relation to said retracted punch member with an open material receiving sl-ot therebetween, a punch receiving portion on said die with a tab forming edge having an open hinge forming area therewith, and a tab travel area on said die whereby overlapping plates may be hand joined by interlocking tabs formed from said punch and die, said die being discontinuous about a portion thereof adjacent said hinge line forming an open space therein through which said die is removable from said hinged tab.

3. In a hand operated tool, a base member having-a hand grip portion therewith, a punch confining area formed internally and longitudinally of said base member, a punch member mounted for substantial longitudinal movement on said confining area, a punch surface on the exposed end of said punch, a hand operated punch actuating lever mounted on said base member, means engaging said punch lever with said punch member to impart movement thereto, a portion of said base member leading from said punch being formed with a side open material receiving slot therein, a die member mounted on :said base member in spaced relation to said punch member in retracted position, a punch receiving portion on said die member defining a tab forming surface with a hinge line area therewith, said die being discontinuous about a portion thereof adjacent said hinge line forming an open space through which said die is removable from said hinged tabs, said hinge line area being of width smaller than the Width of the opening immediately adjacent thereto and other openings formed by said punch at the adjacent portions thereof, and a tab travel area formed on said die leading from said tab forming surface.

4. A lock lip punching tool comprising, a base holder for grasping in the hand, a movable punch mounted for movement on said base, a material receiving slot formed on said tool in communication with said movable punch in movement thereof to receive and confine overlapping plates therein to be joined by tabs together against separation, a die member mounted on said base on one side of said slot and being spaced across said slot from said punch member in retracted condition, hand operated means for moving said punch a limited distance on said base through said slot and into said plates confined therein, a tab forming portion in said die consisting of bottom die forming portion of other than a straight line with the ends thereof spaced apart to form a hinge line on said bottom tab and tabs thereabove, a punch tip on said punch for entering said bottom die forming portion to form a bottom tab and tabs thereabove in one movement of said punch in the same direction, said edge of said punch tip puncturing said metal to form and to push said tabs about the hinge line so as to drive said lower tab with a portion of the width thereof into the opening in the plate thereabove of smaller width thereof thereby preventing said tabs from separating in any direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 641,019 Kiefer Jan. 9, 1980 733,134 Bremer July 7, 1903 1,173,119 Pepper Feb. 22, 1916 1,487,242 Howle Mar. 18, 1924 1,641,521 Beck Sept. 6, 1927 2,139,641 Neumeister Dec. 6, 1938 2,328,747 Schweidler Sept. 7, 1943 2,549,838 Miller Apr. 24, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES The Oflice, November 1886, page 107. 

